


Look Closer

by spideywhiteys



Series: 365 Days of Naruto AUs [43]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Cyberpunk, Gen, Rare Pairings, he does commission work, hermit sasori, raidou is a frequent customer, undertones of pre-relationship if you’re squinting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 862
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29386461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spideywhiteys/pseuds/spideywhiteys
Summary: Raidou picks up a finished commission and wonders...
Relationships: Sasori (Naruto) & Namiashi Raidou
Series: 365 Days of Naruto AUs [43]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2086938
Kudos: 4





	Look Closer

**Author's Note:**

> Day 43: Cyberpunk AU / Sasori + Raidou

The shop is tucked away out of sight from the main road. Only if you peer into the dark alley can you see the sign, and it’s not even lit up the way everything is these days. The alley is like a completely different world, concrete swathed in shadows, the door sidelined by trash bins and made of  _ wood, _ a material that’s very rarely used these days. 

Everything is metal. Everything is neon lights and cybertech and gritty machinery. The modern age is a clash of technology and urban design, sprawling cities with towering spires and too many wires crossing in the air. Raidou knows every nook and cranny of the city, born and raised in the digital age, using those massive wires as a playground. 

So he knows this place, with its secretive entrance and lacking sign, the symbol of a scorpion spray-painted in red against the door, dried with a few drip tracks to give it a bloody appearance. He’s a man who means business, and so is the one who runs this place. Raidou isn’t always happy about having to work with a shady character like Sasori, but most people are shady these days.

Raidou slips through the door, hinges silent and well oiled, as if Sasori would stand for anything less. The inside is dim, lit by yellowish overhanging lights. They cast ominous shadows over the ground, bouncing off the props, products and equipment set up for display. Creatures made of wood and tech, puppetry intertwined with metal, armor pieces, prosthetics — anything you could imagine.

There’s a rustling from the back. 

A door behind the counter in the back of the room opens, and the room is flooded with bright light. Sasori’s work room is much better lit, and also a space no one else is privy to. His half-lidded gaze settles on Raidou as he wipes his hands on a rag, leaving dark grease marks behind. 

“Just in time.” Sasori notes, his expression unchanging. He’s pleased, however. His thin shoulders don’t tense, those sandy eyes don’t narrow. Raidou makes do with what he can, never the best at reading people but certainly getting there.

Raidou tracks the shorter figure across the room with his eyes. “I don’t like to waste it.”

Sasori grunts, pushing a few hanging products to the side. The room feels like something out of an old horror movie. He finds what he’s looking for, dragging it forward. It swings closer, and Raidou sees his commission for the first time with his own eyes.

A pair of wings, massive enough to give a human the ability of flight. Every feather is intricately crafted, glittering in the dim light. The hum of electricity surges through the wings, lighting up vibrant blue and gold pathways. All lead back to the base, which is slimmer and more compact than he expected. 

“Amazing,” He can’t help but say aloud.

Sasori does not smile so much as he smirks, confident in his abilities. “Of course it is. I don’t make anything that’s less than perfect.”

“I know.” Raidou replies easily, dark eyes still roving over the piece of half-machinery. “That’s why I still come around.”

Sasori’s business is incredibly underground, to the point where its existence is mostly passed around via word of mouth. He’s so off the grid it’s not even funny — but he likes it that way. And it works for him, because he’s somehow still in business and doing perfectly well for himself. Raidou’s quite lucky he even found this place. 

Sasori’s personality, however, can at times leave much to be desired, which is exactly why Raidou is the one who places commissions out of the entirety of his group. He’s the middleman here, because he’s apparently the only adult among his idiot friends.

“Your payment.” 

Sasori looks pleased again at the prompting. They hold out their DigiCards for connection, and the funds are transferred. Sasori takes the wings off their hook, the muscles in his arms trembling briefly. He hands it to Raidou.

“Wait here.”

Raidou struggles for a moment to get a good grip on the wings, during which Sasori wanders behind the counter. The redhead rummages around, unseen, small enough that when he ducks the counter covers his entire body. Raidou’s never asked how old the other man is, but he somehow feels like it’s much older than the initial assumption. 

Sasori returns with a harness, standing much closer to Raidou than he ever has before to tie the wings together. He smells like wood polish and vanilla, the sharpness of oil and the softness of sandalwood. Raidou shifts and maneuvers the wings until they’re completely tied, hanging from the harness handle for ease of carry. It’s more than what others are usually given for transport.

“Thanks.” He says, trying to not look into this.

Sasori slides his half-lidded gaze over Raidou, piercing despite the unassuming expression. He doesn’t smile, because Sasori always smirks instead, but it’s more than he usually gives for a goodbye.

Raidou watches the redhead walk back into his work room and shut the door behind him, not another word said.

He’s really trying not to look into this.


End file.
